


Time For a Hero to Step Into the Fire

by imagineyou (jokerindisguise), jokerindisguise



Series: For a New World I Am Bound [2]
Category: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Genre: Apocalypse, Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Minor Character Death, My unofficial sequel to Anna and the Apocalypse, Post-Canon, Reader Insert, Zombies, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:46:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jokerindisguise/pseuds/imagineyou, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jokerindisguise/pseuds/jokerindisguise
Summary: Sequel toThere's No Such Thing As a Hollywood Ending."You had hoped that it was only Little Haven that was affected by the zombie apocalypse in your area. You thought that once you got outside of the town, there would be a military blockade waiting for you and soldiers would whisk you all away to a safe quarantine zone.You should have known better, though. All that greeted you once you left Little Haven was more zombies. "
Relationships: John Wise/Reader, background Nick/Anna Shepherd, background Steph North/Veronica
Series: For a New World I Am Bound [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763467
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	Time For a Hero to Step Into the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to the two lovely users who commented on the first one and said they'd read more. ❤
> 
> I read the book, so I took some things from the book and used it for the sequel. I'm so nervous about this, but I'm taking solace in the fact that not a lot of people will even see this fic. If you read this, then I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Title taken from the Anna and the Apocalypse song 'Soldier at War.'

You didn't know what you expected to happen when you left Little Haven. You had always suspected your tiny town was in a bubble and only a few lucky people ever made it out. You had hoped that it was only Little Haven that was affected by the zombie apocalypse in your area. You thought that once you got outside of the town, there would be a military blockade waiting for you and soldiers would whisk you all away to a safe quarantine zone. 

You should have known better, though. All that greeted you once you left Little Haven was more zombies. 

You spent a few days crowded in Steph's tiny car with your brother, John, Anna, and Steph. You all took turns driving, not really sure where you were supposed to be going, but knowing that you had to keep searching for some hint of civilization. 

As hours passed and there were no signs of the living, you started to fear that the five of you were the only survivors left. There were abandoned cars and blood stains on the road. There were human remains left to the side of the deserted streets that you didn't want to take too good of a look at. There were zombies stumbling out in front of the car from time to time, causing the person driving to have to swerve to avoid them. 

You only had to stop a few times to look for food or gas for Steph's car. Every time, you would stand near the back bumper of the car, your machete held at the ready, while you watched for zombies. You were always thankful when all five of you could climb back into the car and leave, since you didn’t like the idea of staying out in the open for too long. 

Sometimes the car would be filled with silence. All of you were exhausted and terrified. All of you had things you weren't really wanting to talk about yet. All of you were mourning the loss of Chris and Lisa, but you were all also dealing with personal tragedies and fears. 

For Steph, it was her fear that her parents and girlfriend were dead. She had mentioned that her parents were taking a vacation in Mexico, but her girlfriend, Veronica, was located in a tiny village just east of Little Haven. You weren’t sure how they met or when, since Steph hadn’t been living in Little Haven for long, but you could tell she was worried about Veronica. 

Anna was still clearly struggling with the loss of her father. You couldn’t imagine how she felt. She had been so close to saving her father, but because of a tussle with Savage, Tony had been bitten. Nick had barely been able to get Anna to leave with him. You knew that if it weren’t for your brother and the rest of you waiting on her, then she would have been tempted to stay with her father. 

You and Nick were still trying to process the loss of your father. You had never been close to the man, since he made it nearly impossible to get to really know him as you were growing up, but you still couldn’t quite believe he was gone. You knew Nick was haunted by having to be the one to put him down before he turned into a zombie. You weren’t sure if he would ever truly recover from something like that. 

John was mourning his mother. Anna had been the one to gently tell John that her father explained that John's mother died at the school. You had listened to John cry into Anna's shoulder. You wished you could have been there for him, but you were the one driving at that point. You noticed your brother resolutely staring out the window, as if trying to give John a moment to mourn. 

How you all felt inside seemed to be reflected in the world outside of the bubble of Little Haven. Seeing such a desolate and horrifying world greet you once you left Little Haven was not what you had always dreamed of. It was disheartening to know that the world you had dreamt of exploring was now in shambles. What you hated most, though, was having to stop the car for supplies. 

You stood near the rear of Steph's car while Anna and John were in charge of siphoning gas out of an abandoned vehicle. Steph and Nick were supposed to help you keep watch of your surroundings while you waited for them to finish. 

You were listening to Anna and John bicker about the correct way to get the gas out of the vehicle when you heard your brother shout. 

You turned to see Nick grappling with a zombie. It was snarling and snapping its teeth just inches from his face as he tried to hold it off. 

"A little help here," he grunted before you saw him go down. 

You weren't sure how you rounded the vehicle so quickly, but it seemed like one moment you were watching your brother fall out of your sight and the next you were kicking the zombie off of him. 

"I'm so fucking tired of these fucking zombies!" You shouted, driving your machete repeatedly into the head of the zombie that had almost taken your brother from you. 

"Y/N," you heard someone call your name. 

You ignored them and kept hacking away at the zombie, barely registering that there wasn't much left of the zombie's head to destroy anymore. 

"Y/N!" Nick yelled, his arms coming up around you and pulling you away from the zombie. "It's dead. You can stop now." 

You were panting for breath as you slowly let your hand drop, the machete no longer raised. You nodded your head, aware that the others were all staring at you. You knew they were worried. You knew that you had likely just made them think that you were unhinged and going feral. You didn't care. You really were sick of all the zombies. You were tired of being scared all the time. 

"Alright there, sis?" Nick asked. 

"Yeah," you breathed, finally feeling calm enough to turn to him. "Are you? It didn't get you, right?" 

"I'm okay. Just surprised me is all," he said, glancing from you down to the dead zombie at your feet. 

You knew he was talking about the zombie and you. You didn't mean to take all of your anger and fear out on the zombie, but it was better than taking it out on the others. 

"Be honest," Nick started, starting to steer you away. "Is it a special time of the month for you?" 

It took you a few moments to realize what he was asking. You groaned and pushed him away from you. "Shut the fuck up, Nick." 

You heard Nick laugh as you moved to join the others back at the car. 

"You okay?" John asked, his expression giving away how worried he was for you. 

"I'm good," you said with a nod of your head. "Just had a moment." 

"I'll say," Anna said with a smirk. "Is the idiot okay?" She asked with a nod at your brother. 

"It didn’t bite him. He's certainly lacking in brains, so I'm sure the zombie was just confused," you joked, feeling a grin form on your face at your brother's noise of protest. 

It wasn't long before you were all back in the car. You were wedged in the back between John and your brother. You hated the middle seat, but you figured someone had to be a good buffer between the two. They still traded barbs and seemed to hate each other, but you noticed it didn't seem to be as serious as before. 

You were just starting to doze off, your head tipped back against your headrest, when you heard Steph curse. 

"What's going on?" You immediately asked, going on alert. You thought there might have been zombies or another gruesome murder scene. You weren't expecting to see the line of tanks and soldiers stationed behind a blockade. Two of the soldiers immediately brought their guns up while three others jogged over to the car where Steph had stopped it. 

They motioned for Steph to roll down her window and she shot a quick glance at all of you. She looked genuinely worried for the first time in days and you wondered what she was thinking. She moved slowly to roll down her window, as if she feared the soldiers with their guns trained on the car would be prompted to shoot if she moved too quickly. 

"Are any of you bitten? Are any of you exhibiting signs of infection?" One of the soldiers asked, leaning down to get a better look inside the car. 

"No," Steph answered. "We've been together for days and none of us have been sick or bitten." 

"Pull up near the blockade," the soldier instructed. "And then all of you need to get out of the car." The soldier walked a few steps away from the car but kept his eyes trained on the vehicle. 

"Fuck," Steph hissed as she slowly rolled her window back up. 

"It'll be fine," Anna tried to reassure her. 

"They're military," Nick spoke up. "They have to be careful." 

Steph nodded her head and slowly pulled the car forward until a soldier held his hand out, silently instructing her to stop. 

The soldier motioned for all of you to get out of the car. You shared a worried look with John before Nick groaned and pushed his door open. 

"Honestly," he muttered as he pulled himself out of the car. 

John was quick to follow suit. He turned and held his hand out to you, helping you slide out of the backseat. It took you a few moments to realize you were still holding onto John's hand when he squeezed yours. You shot him a weak smile before you let go, ignoring the knowing look Nick shot your way. 

You waited for Anna and Steph to join you before you turned fully towards the soldiers. 

One of the soldiers that had been standing behind the blockade swiftly lowered his gun. He walked around the blockade, slowly approaching your group. "Nick? Y/N?" 

You squinted at the soldier, trying to place him. It took you a few moments to recognize the man coming closer. 

"Colonel Williams?" 

The soldier nodded his head. "I never thought you two would end up here." He glanced from you to your brother to the others standing behind you. He sighed and shook his head. "I take it your father isn't here with you." 

You bit your lip and shook your head, glancing quickly at Nick. 

"I'm sorry to hear that. He was a good soldier," he said, reaching out to pat you on the shoulder. Colonel Williams glanced over his shoulder at the other soldiers stationed behind the blockade. "Marcus! Get over here!" 

You felt your eyes widen at the guy carefully making his way around the blockade. Marcus Williams was a bit of an arrogant jerk and while you had always been nice to him since his father was a friend of your father’s, you had never gone out of your way to spend any quality time with him. You were glad your father was stationed with a different unit than Colonel Williams’, because it meant that you rarely had to interact with Marcus. Every time you did, he always invaded your space and made you feel uncomfortable. You hoped you wouldn’t have to spend much time with him now, but knowing your luck, you were about to have to see a lot more of him. 

You glanced from Marcus to the other soldiers and realized that a lot of them were young. Most of them didn't even look old enough to be soldiers at all. You frowned at the sight of them and wondered what was really going on. 

Colonel Williams stepped away from you to meet Marcus near the blockade. 

"Who's that?" You heard John quietly ask as Marcus spoke to his father. 

"That? That's Marcus. A total prick," Nick answered. 

John snorted. "Wow. If _you're_ calling him a prick, then he must be bad." 

You glanced back to see Nick reach out and shove John, glaring at him. "Well, he's a prick who fancies my sister." 

"What?" John asked, his eyes going wide as he glanced at you. 

"Yeah," Nick confirmed with a smirk. "Looks like you've got competition, John boy." 

"Would both of you shut the fuck up?" You hissed, shooting a glare at your brother and John. "They're coming back over here," you told them when you noticed Marcus and Colonel Williams turning in your direction. 

You tried to keep a polite smile on your face as you watched Marcus take off his helmet. He greeted you with a smile. "Well, fancy seeing you here," he said. He held his arms out and you hesitated before stepping into his embrace. He squeezed you close for a moment before you tried to pull away. When Marcus didn't seem like he wanted to let you go, your brother intervened. 

"That's enough of that," you heard Nick mutter before he tugged you away. He slapped Marcus on the back. "Good to see you," he said with a forced grin. 

You knew from the tone of your brother's voice he didn't really mean his words. Nick might have hated Marcus, but he respected Colonel Williams, and he wasn't about to disrespect the man's son in front of him. 

"Nick," Marcus said with a nod of his head. "I'm surprised you survived." 

Nick raised an eyebrow at that, but wisely chose not to comment when Colonel Williams cleared his throat. 

"It looks like you kids have been on the run since Little Haven," he pointed out. "Why don't you come back with us to the bunker? We've been taking in all kinds of strays." 

You glanced around at the soldiers surrounding you. Most of them looked like they were your age. Were you supposed to follow them and become good little soldiers as well? You weren't sure if you were okay with the idea, but the next few moments decided your fate. 

"Steph?" One of the soldiers called. You saw a girl with dark hair and an ill-fitted uniform slowly approaching the group. 

"Veronica?" 

The girl, Veronica, let out a disbelieving laugh before she was rushing towards Steph. You watched a relieved smile break out on Steph's face as she embraced Veronica. Veronica hastily pulled her helmet off before reeling Steph in for a kiss. 

You glanced quickly to the others, feeling surprised by the turn of events. You weren’t really sure what it meant for the rest of you, but you knew that Steph wouldn’t want to be separated from Veronica. Besides, weren’t you all hoping to get saved by the military back in Little Haven? Wasn’t this your chance to find some semblance of safety? 

You shared a look with Nick and then Anna and John, seeing that they were fast coming to the same conclusion. You would be going with Colonel Williams and the other soldiers. If anything, it would help you settle down for the first time since fleeing Little Haven and Steph could be with her girlfriend. 

From the smirk on Marcus' face as he looked at you, you had a feeling he knew you had made your decision. 

You all opted to follow the others back to the base in Steph's car, even though Marcus had offered to let you ride with him. 

"Yeah, I'm sure he wants to take you on a ride," Nick muttered in your ear. 

You swatted a hand at him, scowling at him. "Shut up," you told him. "Aren't you supposed to be protecting my virtue or something?" 

Nick raised an eyebrow at you. "Are you planning on letting Marcus anywhere near your virtue?" 

"No," you immediately denied. You would sooner let a zombie bite you than get anywhere near Marcus or his dick. 

"Then there's no need," Nick pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now get in the car so we can go," he said, reaching out to shove you in the direction of Steph's car. 

You sat in the passenger seat as Nick drove. You glanced back at Steph, seeing she was practically vibrating off of her seat with nerves. 

"It's good, right? You know she's alive now, at least," you tried to soothe her. 

Steph bit her lip and nodded her head. "It was certainly unexpected. But how did she end up with a bunch of soldiers?" She asked with a frown on her face. 

You saw John shrug his shoulders. "She's alive. That's all that matters." 

You shared a brief look with Anna before you turned back around in your seat. You weren't sure what to think about anything that had happened recently, but if you got a brief respite from sleeping in a cramped car and fearing for your life every second of the day, then you would take it. It didn't mean that you trusted the supposed salvation to actually be genuine. 

When you got to the base, there were soldiers that directed Nick to park in a loading bay. Colonel Williams and Marcus were waiting for you by the time you all managed to climb out of Steph's car. 

Once you were all out, a soldier moved forward and held his hand out to Nick. 

Nick frowned at him, not knowing what was expected of him. 

"The keys, son," Colonel Williams called. 

"Uh, why would he need the keys to my car?" Steph asked, taking a step forward. 

"Well, you won't need it while you're here," Marcus cut in. "You are staying, aren't you?" 

You weren't sure why you felt so hesitant to agree. This was likely the only offer of salvation you would have. You thought you would find some kind of bomb shelter or panic room somewhere and try to do your best to survive, but you didn't imagine running into one of your father's old military buddies and being brought back to a military base. 

"What happens if we stay?" Anna asked, a thoughtful look on her face as she glanced around the loading bay. 

"We would train you, of course," Colonel Williams answered. 

"Train us? For what?" John asked, his voice going higher in alarm with each word. 

"To fight," Marcus said, shooting a look at John as if he thought he was an idiot. 

You narrowed your eyes at Marcus. "You mean to be soldiers against the undead." 

Colonel Williams nodded his head. "That would be the best way of putting it. Look, kids," he started, making sure to look at each of you as if checking to see that he had your attention. "There's a war going on out there whether you want to realize it or not. It's become us against them. If you stay here, then we expect everyone to pull their weight. We won't force you to stay, but if you do, then we expect you to cooperate." 

You felt for a moment as if you were trapped. You had no doubt that Nick had always planned in one way or another to follow in your father's footsteps, but you never wanted to be a soldier. But did you really want to go back out there and be scared every second that you would get mauled by the undead? Did you want to go back to sleeping a few hours at a time while you fought for space in Steph’s car? Did you want to dread having your next meal or bathroom break because you knew there was the slightest chance you might get surprised by a zombie? 

You looked to your brother and he tipped his head towards the others. "Can you give us a few moments to talk it over?" He asked Colonel Williams, making a point to not even glance in Marcus' direction. "We came here as a group, so we'll make this decision as a group." 

"Don't take too long," Colonel Williams told your brother. "Dark will be setting in soon." 

You turned to the others, moving until you were far enough away from anyone else so that you wouldn't be overheard. 

"What do you guys think?" You asked the others, still trying to sort out your own thoughts on the subject. 

Anna bit her lip, glancing around the loading bay as if she was cataloguing everything. "It would give us a break from running." 

"They would train us to better defend ourselves," Steph pointed out, but she looked as if she couldn't believe what she was saying. "It's not like we're declaring war on some defenseless country. This is a threat everyone is facing." 

John sighed and shook his head. "I just don't like the idea of staying here. Are we sure we can trust them?" 

"They're soldiers, John," your brother said with a roll of his eyes. "Of course we can trust them." 

You saw Steph make a face at your brother's words, as if she didn’t quite agree, and couldn't help but smile. Steph might have come around to the idea of staying and training, but she still clearly had her reservations. 

"Well?" Marcus called. "Are you staying?" 

Nick glanced at Marcus and held up a hand, trying to stall him. "What's our official answer?" Nick asked, glancing at each person in the group. "We've made it this far together. It’s all of us or none of us." 

Anna took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. "We should stay," she said with a nod of her head. "We can always leave, right?" 

"Right," Steph agreed, even though she didn't sound sure. 

"Colonel Williams was friends with dad," you offered. "It might not be such a bad idea to stay here." You glanced at John and nudged him in the side. "What do you think, John?" 

John sighed before meeting your eyes. Finally, he nodded his head. "Sure," he said. "What's the worst that could happen?" 

"You just had to say that?" Anna asked with a raised eyebrow. 

John winced. "Right. Sorry." 

Nick sighed before he turned and crossed over to Colonel Williams and Marcus. You noticed Marcus' face light up before he glanced to you. You quickly looked away, not wanting to keep eye contact. You really didn't want to lead him on, since you had zero interest in him. 

Colonel Williams and Marcus took all five of you on a brief tour of the base while Steph’s car was taken to the garage. You hated leaving behind your machete, since you had depended on it to help you survive, but you knew that you likely wouldn’t be able to keep it. You reasoned it was better to keep it in Steph’s car than have it be lost somewhere on the base. When Anna and Nick left their weapons behind, you knew they had the same thought. 

While on the tour, Colonel Williams informed all of you that the infection was widespread. There was still no idea what caused it yet, but they were in contact with units around the globe. 

"So, you're saying no one knows what caused it? No mutant strains of rabies or radioactive asteroids crash landing to Earth? No space spores? Absolutely nothing?" John asked, sounding like he wasn't actually convinced. 

Colonel Williams turned to consider John with a frown on his face. "I think you've seen one too many horror movies, son." 

"We're living in a horror movie," you muttered, catching John's amused smirk at your words. 

"Be that as it may," Colonel Williams started. "We're going to need everyone on deck if we're going to combat the zombie threat." 

You heard Anna snort and turned to look at her. "Sorry, it just sounds so ridiculous." She brought a hand up to stifle her laughter, and you couldn't help but think it sounded a bit too hysterical for your liking. You noticed tears well in her eyes and you were quick to move to wrap an arm around her waist, letting her rest her head on your shoulder. "When do we get started?" Anna asked, glancing to Colonel Williams. 

"We'll let you get settled in tonight and we can start your training early tomorrow. Your car will stay in the garage for now," Colonel Williams directed at Steph. "We'll take good care of it." 

Steph frowned, but nodded her head. 

Colonel Williams and Marcus continued to lead you around the base. They pointed out the cafeteria, training rooms, and the women's and men's barracks. You didn't like the idea that you would be separated from your brother when you had to sleep at night, but you knew that it was out of your hands. Still, after spending the past few days with just the others for company, you weren't sure you were ready to be split up. You had to console yourself with the knowledge that at least you would still have Steph and Anna with you every night. 

When it was time to go off to the women's barracks, you were reluctant to leave your brother and John. 

Nick reached out to pull you into a side hug. "Hey, I'll watch out for him, yeah?" 

You quirked an eyebrow at him, hardly believing your brother was suddenly coming around to John. "What brought this on?" 

"He must not be so bad if you're so obsessed with him," Nick told you with a grin. 

You rolled your eyes, elbowing him in the side. "Fuck off," you groaned, before you quickly pulled your brother into a hug. "Watch out for yourself too. I wouldn't sleep easy knowing Marcus was in the same room." 

Nick snorted. "I think I'll be fine," he told you once he pulled away. "He doesn't want to fuck me." 

You barely refrained from rolling your eyes again before you let yourself be herded towards the women's bunks. Steph opted to share a bunk with Veronica, which left you to share one with Anna. 

"Which one do you want?" You asked Anna. 

"Top? If that's okay." 

"Yeah, sure," you easily agreed. You knew Anna was still struggling after the loss of her father. There was a haunted look in her eyes that you hated, since you knew there was nothing you could do about it. 

You had been given clothes that had been scavenged and you were glad that they mostly seemed to fit you. You crawled into your bunk and glanced to where Anna was standing at the foot of the bed. 

"You think you'll be able to sleep?" You asked her, knowing that you would have trouble getting any rest after being on constant alert for the past few days. 

Anna shrugged her shoulders before she moved to climb onto the top bed. She was quiet for a few moments before she finally spoke up. "I just feel like I'm alone, you know? Like I've got no one. No parents. No grandparents. I'm an orphan," she said, her voice going choked and strained on the last word. 

You knew without having to look that Anna was crying. She hadn't been able to really let herself grieve since she was constantly fighting for her life on the road, but you knew that it was likely catching up to her now. You crawled out of your bed and stood to see that she was curled up on her side with her knees tucked up towards her chest. 

"Can I join you?" You asked, unsure of your welcome. Anna might want to be alone to mourn, you thought to yourself. 

She nodded her head and slid over, giving you enough room to curl up behind her. You wrapped an arm around her waist and did your best to give her space while also giving her comfort. 

"You're not alone, Anna. You're the closest thing I've ever had to a sister, you know? And even though he's a dick about it, my brother cares about you. You’re John’s best friend and he would do anything for you. And Steph is there for you too. We're not going to leave you by yourself, yeah? You've got us." 

Anna sniffled before she nodded her head. "You know, I wanted out of Little Haven, but not like this." 

You couldn't help but snort. "Same," you agreed. "I never thought it would be like this." 

"Makes you almost miss putting up with Savage every day, right?" 

"Oh no," you said before you shuddered. "I'd rather fight off a whole army of those things before having another conversation with that man." 

Anna laughed, her shoulders shaking for a few moments, before she went still. "Will you stay up here with me tonight?" She asked, her voice low and soft as if she was ashamed. 

"Of course," you assured. "I'm not going anywhere." 

"Thanks, Y/N," Anna whispered. 

You waited until you felt Anna's breaths even out before you allowed yourself to close your eyes. You knew that whatever the five of you faced now, you would stick together. You weren't going to let the military or zombies take you away from the others and you would be damned if you lost any of them. 

It turned out that Colonel Williams wasn't lying when he told you that you would get started on training as soon as possible. John, Anna, and Steph were started with what he called the beginner's group while you and Nick were given the more advanced training. 

"I know your father would have taught you two some things, and we need all the help we can get," Colonel Williams explained as he led the both of you towards the training grounds. "You'll be in the same group as Marcus," he added. 

"Oh joy," Nick muttered with a roll of his eyes. 

"What was that?" Colonel Williams asked, turning to glance at your brother. 

"I said what a joy it will be to reconnect with him," he lied. "It's really been too long." 

Colonel Williams squinted at Nick, as if he didn't quite believe your brother, before he started walking. 

You shared a smirk with Nick before you followed after Colonel Williams. 

Over the next couple of weeks, you spent most of your free time training. You were taught how to visually assess threats and how to safely and securely handle any weapons at your disposal. You didn't like having to handle a gun on a daily basis, but you were told it was an essential part of your training. 

Every night, you caught up with Steph and Anna. They told you what they were learning about in their training sessions and you filled them in on yours. All of you were usually exhausted at the end of each night and even though you were sad you only managed to see John during meals, you knew that Nick was keeping an eye on him whenever he could for you. 

As the days passed, you noticed Steph and Veronica having more and more hushed conversations at night before lights out. You weren't sure if they were still together or if they felt they had to hide their relationship, but you made sure to let Steph know that you were firmly in her corner if anyone tried to give her trouble for it. You also told her Nick would be too, even if you had to wrangle him into it. 

She thanked you and told you it wasn't necessary. 

To your surprise, Veronica was in your training group. You managed to have a few conversations with her between learning how to spot a threat from farther distances and the best way to carry a weapon while evading the hordes of the undead. She told you that her dad taught her a lot of survival techniques as she grew up, because he wanted her to be able to defend herself when she finally left home. 

"He also taught me how to keep a budget and cook a decent meal. I thought I would be using those skills and not how to properly use a knife to defend myself." She shook her head and huffed out a laugh. "Funny how I used to hate those lessons, but I'd give anything to be sitting in our kitchen and listening to one of his lectures." 

You couldn't help but think of your own father. The man had rarely been warm or welcoming, but you still had some memories you cherished with him. 

"Yeah," you agreed. "It is funny." 

From the way Veronica carried herself and the way she responded to each new task, you wondered just what she had gone through when the zombie apocalypse first hit. She was a bit reserved at first, but once you started working with her every day, she started to open up to you a bit more. 

You were glad to get to know someone in the group besides your brother and Marcus. Especially since Nick spent most of the time goading and riling up Marcus until he snapped and stormed off. Nick thought it was hilarious, but you just hoped it didn't come back to hurt him later on. 

Since you were part of the advanced training, you and Nick were able to go on missions before Anna, John, and Steph. 

For your first real mission with the group, you were told that you were going to help clear out a neighborhood and search for survivors. You thought it sounded simple enough and while you didn't really feel like venturing away from the relative safety of the base, you knew that if you could help save someone, then you would have to fight past your fear. 

"Alright, Y/N?" Nick asked as you got ready to leave the base. He looked practically giddy as he bounced on his feet. You knew he had been itching to get back out into the world, but from the slight look of uncertainty on his face, you also knew he was nervous. 

You nodded your head, feeling uncertain. You had been to monitor blockades a couple of times, but this was something entirely different. You were supposed to go in with the expectation that you were going to be facing an unknown amount of the undead. There could be a handful or dozens. Reports had come in that it was only a moderate infestation, but you knew that anything could happen. 

"Oh, let her live, Nicholas," you heard Marcus mutter. "She's better at this than you." 

Nick scoffed and turned so his back was to Marcus. "I told you he wants in your pants," he whispered. 

You rolled your eyes and elbowed Nick in his side. Nick had been practically gluing himself to your side during your training lately, because Marcus was getting bolder with his advances. 

You had been trying to keep your distance from Marcus, but he didn't seem to be getting the hint. He constantly asked you to get meals with him or go out on patrol alone with him. 

Nick always told you there was no way in hell he would let you go off alone with Marcus and even though you appreciated your brother having your back, you made sure he knew you weren't defenseless. Marcus was seemingly toeing the line, but the second he crossed it, then all bets were off. Besides, if you weren't enough to get him to back off, then your first choice of defender was going to be Anna. From the fierce determination she showed in taking care of the undead, and her resourcefulness to take out the threat no matter what she had on hand, you knew she could truly terrify Marcus into falling in line. 

You didn't think any amount of training could truly have prepared you for your first mission with the group, though. It was just you, Nick, Veronica, Marcus, and another boy named Sam. Sam was such a sweet boy who reminded you so much of Chris that sometimes when he shot you a goofy, innocent smile, you ached a bit. He proved to be absolutely lethal, though. He could throw a knife and have it hit the bullseye on a dart board and he knew how to handle weapons more efficiently than anyone else. He also had a confidence in his movements that he used to his advantage when fighting the undead. 

You were glad to have Sam on your team when you went on the first mission. A 'moderate infestation,' must have been code for 'completely overrun,' because within the first few minutes of walking into the neighborhood, you weren't sure you could look anywhere without spotting one of the undead. 

It was complete chaos and at one point you ended up separated from the group. You could hear your brother steadily calling your name, but it seemed that the undead blocked your escape at every turn. You were more than capable of taking them out, but you still felt like you couldn't breathe at the sight of each zombie that stumbled in your direction. You didn’t know how to get back to the group. You started to fear that you would never make it out of the neighborhood alive. 

It was Sam who found you and led you back to the others. Nick looked so purely relieved to see you that he seemed like he was actually going to cry for a moment. You ended up stumbling right into him and letting him pull you into a hug. 

"We've got to go," Veronica said as she took out a zombie. "There's too many of them." 

"Rubbish," Marcus scoffed. "We've been given this mission and we're going to complete it." 

"Newsflash, moron," Veronica hissed. "We're not actual soldiers. We've been given the bare minimum training and shoved out the door to take care of these things because the military is desperate." 

You couldn't help but think you understood why Veronica and Steph were a couple as you watched her verbally berate Marcus. It didn’t seem to matter what Veronica said to Marcus, though. He wasn’t leaving and none of you were too keen on the idea of abandoning him. 

In the end, all five of you managed to take care of the neighborhood. There were no survivors to take back to the base. 

By the time you got back to the base, your hands were shaking and you felt like every stray noise was proof of a threat. You kept your head bowed on the drive back, not wanting to catch any glimpses of the undead that might have been lurking outside. 

You were instructed to debrief, get a meal, and then head to bed when you were done. By the time you were in bed, though, you couldn't settle. You felt restless and anxious. You kept thinking about getting trapped and cornered by countless zombies. It really could have been your last moment alive if Sam hadn't cleared a path for you. 

You didn't even realize you were out of bed until you were already at the door to the women's barracks. You didn't know if it was the best idea to sneak out of the room and into the men's barracks, but you wanted to see that your brother was okay. You knew he had been just as shaken by the day's events, even though he wouldn't admit it. 

You couldn't help but think you really should have thought your plan through when you managed to get into the room and were confronted with the rows of bunks. Thankfully, the higher-ranking officers and actual soldiers didn't sleep in the room, but there were a handful of guys you didn't even recognize as you tried to quietly make your way down the row. 

You spotted your brother sleeping on the bunk farthest from the door and felt a smile form on your face when you realized he was sharing with John. Seeing your brother lying on the top bed with John curled up on the one beneath made you wonder for a moment if they had fought over the beds. But you also knew if Nick was sharing with John, then he was actually trying to keep his promise to you to watch out for him. 

Unfortunately, the next bunk was occupied by Marcus. You told yourself you just planned on seeing that your brother was alright before going back to your own bed, but you were stopped by the sound of John softly calling your name. 

You jumped and glanced down at him, putting a hand to your chest when you felt your heart racing. "You startled me," you hissed at him. 

"Sorry," he told you, a sheepish smile on his face. He sat up in his bunk, frowning at you. "You alright?" 

"Yeah," you said, quick to wave off his concern. "Just wanted to check on my brother. Had a bit of a rough day." 

John drew his legs up and nodded towards the end of his bed. "I'm always up for a chat if you need one." 

You sat down on the end of his bed and pulled your legs up. You turned until you were facing John. "You're not too tired?" 

"Nah," John said with a shake of his head. "I was just lying here listening to your brother snore." 

You couldn't help but grin. "It is pretty terrible, isn't it?" 

"I'm surprised I haven't tried to smother him in his sleep yet." 

You laughed softly, ducking your head to hide the grin that had yet to wane. 

You wanted nothing more than to talk to John. Before the world fell apart, he was the person you thought about most. Your feelings for him were just as strong as ever, but you felt like there was a distance between you know. You sighed before you finally managed to speak. 

"They sent us out today," you started, reaching out to pick at a loose thread on John's blanket. 

"I heard," John said. "You okay?" 

You shrugged your shoulders before you shook your head. "I almost didn't make it back," you confided. "I got stuck and they just kept coming at me. I really thought I was going to die there." 

"Hey," John whispered before he reached out a hand to wrap around your wrist. "You're here, though. You're okay," he assured you. 

"I know," you said. You sighed before you finally managed to offer him a small smile. "I just can't help but think about what the next one is going to be like. They told us it wouldn't be a big deal, but zombies were swarming all over that neighborhood." You shook your head, biting your lip as you quickly glanced to the side to make sure Marcus was still sleeping. "I can't help but wonder if we're just cannon fodder." 

"We can't be," John denied with a shake of his head. "Colonel Williams wouldn't send out his son if that were the case, right? They probably just had bad intel or something." 

You frowned, but finally nodded your head. "Yeah. I guess." 

"It's going to be okay, Y/N. We're still together. They're teaching us how to take care of ourselves. But if you think they're trouble, then just say the word, and we'll all leave." 

You met John's eyes, feeling a confusing amount of relief when you realized he was completely serious. Just knowing that John would trust you and leave the safety of the base if you expressed a genuine need to escape had you feeling better. 

"Thanks," you whispered. You shared a smile with him before you cleared your throat, searching for a topic that seemed safe enough to discuss. "So, what do they have you doing in your training sessions?" 

You weren't sure how long you sat there talking to John, but you thought an hour or two must have passed by the time you were caught. 

"I've missed you," John confessed. "I hardly see you anymore." 

"I miss you too," you told him. 

"Well, hey, now that we know you're good at sneaking in here, feel free to come by any time. It's not like I've been getting a solid eight hours and it would give us time to catch up." 

"I'd like that," you admitted, feeling your cheeks begin to flush. 

"Y/N? What are you doing here?" You heard Marcus say as he sat up on his bunk, blinking blearily down at you. "Did you come to see me?" 

You heard Nick snort. "Keep dreaming, Marcus." He groaned and leaned over the side of the bunk until he could see you. "And for fuck's sake, Y/N. Go to bed. It's late." 

You rolled your eyes before you pushed yourself off John's bed. "Guess that's my cue," you told him. "Good night, John. Nick," you said before you reached out to quickly ruffle Nick's hair, grinning when he unsuccessfully tried to swat at you. "Marcus," you muttered, to be polite, before you shuffled off down the row of bunks to get back to the door. 

"Good night, Y/N," you heard John whisper. 

You couldn't quite fight off your smile as you closed the door to the men's barracks behind you. 

The next evening, as you were settling down for dinner with the others, Marcus approached you. You heard Nick grumble something and saw Anna shoot Marcus a glare, but it didn't seem to deter him. 

"So, Y/N," Marcus started as he leaned on the table next to you. He smirked down at you as he ignored Steph's noise of protest when he forced her to scoot over. "Any chance you'll be coming by my bunk tonight?" 

You opened your mouth to turn him down when Nick slammed a fist on the table. "Look, mate," he snapped. "My sister isn't into you. I don't know why you can't get that through your thick skull." 

"Nick, calm down," Anna hissed as she reached out a hand to cover Nick's fist. 

You quirked an eyebrow at her and saw her shrug her shoulders. You couldn't help but smirk at her before you schooled your expression into something a little more serious when you glanced up at Marcus. 

He was trying to stare your brother down across the table. He looked furious and you knew that if you didn't say something, then the situation could quickly get out of hand. 

"Marcus," you called, getting his attention. 

He glanced down at you, a fire still in his eyes that you weren't sure how to tame. "Yeah?" 

"Why don't we go talk somewhere?" 

You heard John make a noise of protest while Nick looked ready to jump across the table and murder Marcus. 

"Just to talk," you clarified when it looked like Marcus assumed you were finally caving to his multiple, unwanted come-ons. You nodded over towards an empty table on the other side of the cafeteria. "Let's go," you said as you stood. 

Anna leaned over to whisper something to Nick. Steph shot you a look, as if silently asking if you were sure, and you nodded. When you chanced a quick glance at John, you noticed that he had half-risen out of his seat, as if he was going to follow the two of you. You smiled at him, trying to let him know it was all okay, before you led Marcus over towards the table. 

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Marcus asked as he sat down. 

You moved to take a seat across from him, not wanting to encourage him by sitting beside him. "Look, Marcus," you started, trying your best to think of the right words. "Nick might have phrased it the wrong way, but he was essentially right. I don’t want to date you." 

You saw Marcus' eyes widen a bit in surprise. You really weren't sure why he looked so shocked when you had been turning him down for weeks. Maybe, you couldn't help but hope, this time would finally get through to him. 

"I don't like you the way you like me," you added, trying to drive the point home. 

Marcus was silent for a few moments. He sat there staring at you long enough that you began to worry he was about to flip out. Finally, he cleared his throat before he nodded his head. 

"Alright," he muttered before he stood from the table and stalked towards the exit. 

You watched him go, wondering if it really was that easy, before you stood up. You made your way back over to the others. 

"Well?" Nick asked, turning away from his conversation with Anna. "Did the idiot finally listen?" 

"I think so," you said with a nod. 

"Good," John said, surprising you. "That guy is a prick." 

Nick snorted. "I warned you," he pointed out, shooting a quick grin at John. 

You glanced from your brother to John, marveling over the fact that they seemed to be getting along for once. You couldn't help but think the world had to end before it finally happened. 

You returned to the men's barracks that night. You weren't sure of your welcome, but when you saw that John was sitting up in bed and seemingly waiting for you, you couldn't help but feel lighter for a moment. Talking with John the night before had been an escape you didn't know you needed. He helped you forget about the terrible feeling of being trapped by a horde of the undead. He made you feel like you were still alive. 

"Hey, Y/N," he whispered when he saw you. 

"Hey," you told him as you moved to settle at the foot of his bed. 

"He was in a foul mood all night," John told you as he nodded over towards Marcus' bunk, keeping his voice low. "You must have broken the poor guy's heart." 

"I kept trying to tell him," you said. "He just never seemed to listen." 

"Yeah," John agreed with a sigh. "I hate to admit it, but I've been in his shoes." 

"You have?" You asked, surprised that John could have shared any kind of life experience with Marcus. "When?" 

John winced, reaching up to rub nervously at the back of his neck. "With Anna," he finally admitted. 

"What happened?" You couldn't help but wonder. You knew John was in love with Anna, but you weren't aware that anything had actually come of his feelings for her. 

John glanced away from you, grimacing, before he sighed. "Before we went through that Christmas tree lot, I told her how I felt. I guess I was inspired by you," he admitted with a sheepish smile. 

"What did Anna say?" You really didn’t want to think about admitting your feelings for John back in Little Haven. It still hurt, but you knew that you would eventually have to move past it. John was one of your best friends and you weren’t going to let your unrequited feelings get in the way of that. 

"She made it clear that she valued me as a best friend, but she didn't see me that way. It hurt, yeah, but then I almost died." He breathed in a shaky breath and you couldn't help your own shudder at the thought of how close John had come to being bitten that day. If you hadn't turned at the right moment and spotted the zombie about to take a bite out of his hand, then John would have forever been lost to you. "It was like what they say about your life flashing before your eyes. You have the moment of epiphany and you suddenly realize a few things. I think I had known all along that Anna wasn't ever going to see me that way, but I couldn't help but hope." He shrugged his shoulders as he met your eyes. "It helped to hope." 

"And now?" You couldn't help but ask. You weren't fooling yourself into thinking that John would suddenly shift his focus to you. You had gone through something similar when you told John about your feelings and he made it clear he only wanted Anna. You had been rejected, but you still had feelings for John. You knew John's feelings for Anna weren't going anywhere for a long while. 

"Now, after seeing how persistent Captain Dipshit over there was with you, I think I realized I was doing the same to Anna." 

You couldn't help but snort at John's nickname for Marcus. "You're nowhere near as bad as him," you promised. "I repeatedly told him I wasn't interested, and he never took the hint." 

John shrugged his shoulders. "Anna only told me once, but I think she was trying to tell me before that." He sighed and then offered you a smile. "At least I know now, right?" 

"Right," you agreed. You sighed and moved until you were leaning against the wall. "You tired?" You asked John, not wanting to overstay your welcome. 

John shook his head. "Not really," he answered. "You?" 

"Not really," you echoed, shooting him a smirk. 

As the night slowly passed, you and John kept talking. He told you about missing art and that he would give just about anything to be able to draw again. You told him you missed your book collection and listening to the music you had on your phone. 

You found yourself sharing anecdotes from your childhood and John told you about the time he ran away with Anna to join the circus when they were kids. 

You couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head. "Why the hell would you do that?" 

"Doesn't every kid dream about that?" He asked, grinning at you. "We actually got to the circus, but we weren’t there for long. There was this clown and he made us clean up horse shit." John grimaced at the memory. "Tony had to come pick us up and Anna cried all the way home because she ruined her favorite boots." 

"That's adorable," you whispered. You imagined a tiny John and Anna determined to join the circus and getting thwarted by a clown. 

"It wasn't so bad," John admitted. "But our parents were less than pleased." 

"I'll bet," you said, picturing Julie's face when she realized John was missing. It hit you in that moment that all of you were likely orphans. The only one out of the five of you with any hope for their parents was Steph, and that was because she couldn't find a way to contact them. You knew for sure that your father was no longer alive. Anna and John had both lost their parents at the school. All you really had was each other. 

"Hey," John called, his voice soft. "What are you thinking about?" 

You realized that there were tears in your eyes when you finally glanced back up at John. "Nothing," you tried to deny. "Doesn't matter now." You sighed before you moved to slide off the bed. "I should be getting back to bed." 

"You sure?" John asked. "You look upset." 

"I'll be fine, John," you assured him. "Good night," you told him before you leaned down to give him a hug. 

John's arms came up to wrap around your waist. He held you in a tight embrace for a moment before he let you go. 

"Good night," he whispered. "Don't get lost," he added with a smirk. 

You couldn't help but laugh, rolling your eyes at John, before you turned to leave. 

It became a habit for you to sneak into the men's barracks each night to have nighttime conversations with John. You spent hours talking and confiding in each other. He made you laugh and for those couple of hours every night, you allowed yourself to forget about the terror that waited for you beyond the base. 

You looked forward to your nightly talks with John each day. Nick teased you relentlessly about it, but you couldn't help but note that he seemed somewhat pleased by the development. 

"It's only because John is far more preferable than Marcus," Nick told you, but you could tell he was slowly coming around to John. He no longer picked on him and even made conversation with him during meals. You were proud of your brother, even though he still continued to act childish from time to time. 

By the time a week passed, you began to realize your feelings for John were changing. You still had feelings for him, but now they felt like they were something _more_. You knew that you couldn't confess your feelings to John again, because you weren't ready to be rejected, but you were simply glad to still have John in your life. 

When you were informed that you would be sent out on another mission, you couldn't help but think of John. You didn't want to leave the base when there was every chance you might not be returning, but there wasn't much you could do besides go on the mission and hope for the best. 

You were with Veronica and Nick, all three of you talking over the specifics of the mission, when you were brought short by the small group waiting for you near the loading bay. Steph was nervously bouncing on her feet before she caught sight of Veronica. She moved to intercept her, pulling her away from you all to talk to her. Anna moved to your brother's side and she leaned up to whisper something to him. You saw your brother smirk and couldn't quite contain your eyeroll at the sight of your brother being smug about something. 

It was then you noticed John had moved to stand at your side. You assumed he was there because Anna was, but when you looked over at him, you noticed he was already watching you. 

"Just wanted to tell you good luck," he said. "I know your last mission was rough on you, so I wanted to see you off before this one." 

It took you a few moments to realize that John was actually there for _you_. 

"Oh," you breathed. You scrambled for something to say. "Thank you," you settled on, knowing it didn't actually convey what you were thinking. You cleared your throat before you shot him a shy smile. "I'll see you when I get back?" 

John grinned at you. "I'll be waiting for you." 

You felt like you were soaring as you walked with Nick and Veronica to the loading bay. Nick still looked smug about something and there was a besotted grin on Veronica's face. You couldn't help but wonder what your expression looked like, but from the way you felt, you were sure you fit right in with the other two. 

When you got to the loading bay, Marcus and Sam were nowhere to be found. 

"Figures," Veronica muttered, before she moved to lean against the vehicle you were meant to leave in. 

You reached out to tug on Nick's arm, letting him know you wanted to talk to him. You pulled him away to a spot where you were sure you wouldn't be overheard. 

"So, you and Anna?" You asked him, nudging him with your elbow. 

"Shut up," he scoffed, nudging you back. He was silent for a few moments, before he sighed. "It's not much of anything at the moment," he admitted. 

You watched him for a moment, taking note of his expression. "But you want it to be?" 

He glanced away from you before he nodded his head. 

"Well, don't fuck it up again," you told him, grinning at him when he suddenly looked back at you, a scowl on his face. 

"I'm not going to fuck it up again," he hissed. "Hopefully," he added after a few seconds. 

"Good. Don't," you warned him. 

You wanted to stay there and have a few more moments with your brother before you were supposed to leave, but Marcus and Sam finally joined the group, and there were no more reasons to wait at the base. 

This mission involved clearing out a shopping center. It wasn't terribly big, but you couldn't help but think about the last time you were in a shopping center infested by zombies. You almost lost John and Nick lost his best friends. 

You weren't sure if it was because your mind was already on John, but when you noticed the small art supplies store sitting between a clothing store and bookstore, you knew you had to go in. All five of you were meant to clear the whole shopping center, so it was only a matter of waiting for the group to get to the shop. 

Before going on the mission, you were told your only goal was to eliminate the threat. The likelihood of any survivors present was slim, but if you found anyone who was not undead, then you were encouraged to bring them back to the base. You weren't supposed to scavenge supplies, since a second group was being sent out the next day to salvage anything useful. 

Once the art supply shop was cleared, you found yourself quickly making your way down the aisles. You feigned as if you were clearing each section, but you were really focused on finding something to bring back to John. You knew before the world ended, his one true goal in life was to go to art school. You didn’t know if it would ever happen for him now, but you hoped to at least put a smile on his face. 

He had confessed that he felt like he didn't really know who he was anymore. Between the constant training and fear of the undead, he told you he was scared that he wasn't really John Wise. He told you he felt like he was someone completely different. You only hoped that having a tiny part of himself back would help to put him more at ease. 

While the others weren't looking, you grabbed a sketchbook and a set of pencils. You didn't know as much as John would have about the quality of the materials, but you hoped it would be enough. You set the sketchbook and pencils just outside of the store, ignoring Nick's questioning look, before you helped clear the rest of the shopping center. 

On the way back to the truck, you managed to grab the supplies, feeling anxious at the thought of giving them to John. You knew he would likely love them no matter what, but you wanted to make him feel better. All of you had been forced to sacrifice a part of yourselves in order to keep surviving, but that didn't mean you weren't the same people you had been before the zombie apocalypse started. You wanted to show John that he could still be that geeky art kid who enjoyed making people laugh. 

When you got back to the truck, you found yourself sitting on the back row of seats with Nick and Veronica. Marcus always made sure he was the one to drive and Sam had opted to sit in the passenger seat, since he was the only one on the team who managed to mostly get along with Marcus. 

You kept the sketchbook on your lap with the pencils tucked into a side pocket of your pants. It wasn't until you were halfway back to the base that you noticed Nick and Veronica had both grabbed something during the mission as well. 

"Is that for Anna?" You asked Nick when you saw the book he was doing a terrible job of hiding from your sight. It was a travel guide of Australia. 

Nick rolled his eyes before he finally handed you the book. 

"Obviously," he muttered. "She still wants to go," he told you. "Maybe one day I can go with her." 

You noticed your brother's cheeks were flushed. You felt yourself grin at the sight of it. 

"That's great, Nick," you told him when you handed it over to him. "What did you get for Steph?" You leaned over to ask Veronica. 

She tilted the book in her lap up until you could see that it was a journal. "She can't really use her laptop to write her investigative pieces anymore, but I thought this might help. She can write down her notes or something," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders. 

"And you got John boy a little sketchbook for his art," Nick observed with a smirk. He scoffed and then looked from Veronica to you. "We're all hopeless, aren't we?" He asked with a shake of his head. 

"Just a little," you told him, sharing a grin with Veronica. 

When you got back to the base, you stored your gifts for John on your bunk before going for a debrief. After the debrief, you were allowed a quick meal, before it was time for lights out. When you made it back to the women's barracks, Anna was smiling down at your bunk, a pleased look on her face. 

"He'll love it," she told you when she noticed you. 

"You think so?" You couldn't help but ask, feeling nervous. 

Anna nodded her head. "I know he will," she assured you. She moved to climb onto her bunk as you sat down on yours. "Did you see the book your brother got me?" 

"Yeah," you answered, a grin on your face. "He was so sappy about it." 

When you managed to chance a glance up at Anna, you noted that she still looked pleased. 

"He cares about you, you know," you couldn't help but tell her. Your brother would always be a bit of a stubborn dick, but you knew he genuinely cared for Anna. 

"I know," she told you, glancing down at you. "I care about him too." 

You couldn't help but grin at her before you sat back on your bed. You looked over to see Veronica and Steph talking on her bed. Steph had the journal in her hand and she was flipping through the pages, as if she was already imagining all of the content she would use to fill the pages. You saw Steph lean forward to pull Veronica into a kiss and glanced away, wanting to give them their privacy. 

By the time you were slipping out of the women's barracks and making your way towards the men's, you felt restless with anticipation. You hoped Anna was right that John would love the sketchbook, but there was a tiny part of you that still worried he wouldn't. 

As you made your way towards John's bunk, you made sure to hide the sketchbook and pencils behind your back, since you wanted to surprise John. He was sitting up on his bed, his back to the wall his bunk was pressed against, and seemingly waiting for you. 

"Hey," you whispered, moving to sit down at the foot of his bed. 

"Hey," he echoed with a grin. "Glad you made it back safe." 

"Thanks," you said as you shifted to get into a more comfortable position. 

John quirked an eyebrow at you, noticing the way you kept one arm behind your back. "Are you hiding something?" 

You bit your lip, before you nodded your head. "Close your eyes," you instructed him. 

John huffed out an amused laugh before he obeyed. 

You set the sketchbook and pencils down on the bed between you. You cleared your throat, taking a moment to steel yourself for whatever reaction John might have, before you reached out to gently tap your fingers against his forearm. 

"Okay. Open your eyes." 

John cracked open one eye and then the other, glancing at you in confusion. You nodded down at your gifts on the bed, waiting for him to notice them. 

You saw his eyes go wide as he let out a startled breath. "Is this-?" He reached out to hesitantly brush his fingers over the pencils before he picked up the sketchbook. "I can't believe you did this for me," he whispered before he opened the sketchbook. 

You felt a little anxious as he read the small note you left for him on the inside cover of the book. 

_To John Wise - The best artist I've ever known. Love, Y/N._

You saw John bite his lip, his eyes tracing over the words, before he slowly shut the book. He kept staring down at the sketchbook in his hands, not saying anything, and you worried for a moment that you had gotten it all wrong. 

"John, if you don't like it," you started, fearing that you had overstepped a boundary. 

"I love it," he whispered, before he dropped the sketchbook to the bed. "It's perfect," he added as he glanced up at you. 

He reached forward to cup your face in his hands, catching you off-guard, before he leaned in to brush his lips against yours. 

"Is this okay?" He mumbled against your mouth. 

"More than," you whispered before you pressed closer and deepened the kiss. 

You weren't sure how long you spent learning John in a new, more intimate way, before you were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. 

"Knock it off, you two," you heard your brother hiss. 

You pulled away from John, blinking over at where Nick was leaning down from his bunk. You shot him a confused look, feeling your cheeks flush at having been caught making out with John. 

Nick nodded over towards the next bunk and it was then you noticed Marcus was awake. 

"Shit," you mumbled, shooting a quick look at John. 

John wasn't even paying attention to your brother or Marcus. He was still watching you, a cautious, hopeful expression on his face. You couldn't help but smile at him, feeling suddenly shy. 

"Seriously, Y/N," Nick said. "Maybe you should go," he added, his tone urgent. 

You glanced over at Marcus again to see he was glaring at John. You sighed before you moved off the bed. You felt John’s fingers brush against yours. You wanted nothing more in that moment than to crawl back onto his bed, but you knew that if you didn’t leave, then there would likely be trouble. 

"I’ll see you later," you told John. You took a moment to nod at your brother, silently thanking him for looking out for you and John, before you turned to leave. 

When you shot a quick glance at Marcus, you noticed he was still staring at John with a furious expression on his face. You got one more look at John and realized he didn't seem to give a damn about Marcus, because he was still watching you. 

You went to sleep that night with a smile on your face and hope for the first time that everything would be alright. 

You kept waiting for Marcus to snap at you the next day while you were training with the group, but he seemed to be ignoring you. You hoped that he finally realized that you weren't ever going to return his advances. Nick seemed to be keeping an eye on him as well, since you caught him giving Marcus a wary look from time to time, but Marcus seemed to be focused on whatever he was doing at the moment. 

You should have known better than to hope, though. You were walking with Nick towards the cafeteria for dinner that night when you heard shouting coming from the hallway up to your left. You shared a quick look with Nick before you took off, intent on finding out what was happening. 

You rounded the corner before freezing at the sight of Marcus holding John in a headlock. There were a few people grouped around them, watching the fight, and you felt anger consume you at the thought that they were just standing around and letting it happen. 

You rushed forward to get between Marcus and John, but you felt an arm around your waist, pulling you back. You glanced over your shoulder to see it was your brother holding onto you. 

"What the fuck, Nick? We have to help him," you said as you tried to struggle out of his hold. 

"John seems to be doing fine all on his own. Let him take care of this for himself." 

You attempted to get out of your brother's hold again, glancing quickly back to see John was shoving Marcus away. John had a split lip and a bruise beginning to form around his left eye. 

It was then you noticed John seemed to be managing to hold his own. He was successfully ducking the rest of Marcus' hits and even got in one good hit to Marcus' jaw, sending him reeling. Marcus stumbled, nearly falling to the floor, before he managed to catch himself. He scoffed, spitting out a mouthful of blood at John's feet, before he turned and stormed off. 

John brought a hand up to his bloody lip, wincing when his fingers brushed over the cut Marcus left there. You watched the small group disperse when you turned a glare on all of them as Nick walked forward to clap a hand to John's shoulder. 

"Well, John boy, I hate to say it, but you did a good job. Maybe I'll let you date my sister after all." 

"Fuck off," you told Nick before you walked over to John. "You okay?" 

"I think I am," John said, even though he still looked a little dazed from the fight. 

"Good," you told him. "Let's go get you cleaned up, yeah?" 

"You two go do that," Nick said. "I'm going to make sure Marcus doesn't stir up more trouble." 

"Thanks, Nick," you told him, offering him a quick smile. 

"Anything for my little sister," Nick said, smirking at you over his shoulder as he walked away. 

"By nine minutes!" You reminded him, knowing it was his way of picking at you while letting you know everything would be okay. 

After you helped John clean up the cut on his lip and made sure he was feeling okay, the both of you went to the cafeteria for a late dinner. You noticed Anna, Nick, and Steph waiting for the both of you at your usual table when you got to the cafeteria. 

"Go on and sit down," you told John. "I'll get our food." 

John shook his head, reaching down to grab your hand. "I'll go with you. They can wait," he told you with a small smile. You saw him wince when it pulled on the cut on his lip. 

You squeezed his hand before tugging him over towards the few stragglers waiting in line for food. 

Once you both had your trays, you followed John to the table. 

Anna hissed out a breath when she finally caught sight of John's face. "I'm going to kill Marcus for what he did to you." 

"John boy here actually did quite well for himself," Nick said, shooting a brief, almost proud look at John. “Seems like all that training has paid off.” 

"Well, Marcus was way out of line. Why did he even attack you?" Steph asked, leaning forward to get a better look at John's face. 

You saw John blush for a moment before he shot a brief look over at you. Steph looked expectantly over at you, as if you had all the answers she was searching for. You knew that Marcus had likely drawn John into a fight because he caught the two of you kissing the night before, but you weren't sure how to approach that subject. John had kissed you and held your hand, but what did that make the two of you? Were you dating? In a relationship? You knew he had to still feel something for Anna. Would he even want to mention what happened between the two of you in front of her? 

Of course, you could always count on your brother to get right to the heart of the issue. 

"Marcus was being a dick, because he saw Y/N and John making out last night." 

You saw Anna quirk an eyebrow at that, shooting John a smirk. Steph's mouth dropped open in shock as she glanced from you to John and back again. 

"You two?" She asked, an expression you didn’t quite recognize on her face. She looked like she was mostly trying to figure out how the two of you ended up together. "But you barely see each other," she pointed out. 

"Y/N sneaks out every night to go see John," Anna offered as she turned her smirk on you. 

"You knew about that?" You asked, shocked that she had even noticed. 

"I'm not clueless, Y/N," Anna told you as she rolled her eyes. "And Nick told me about it." 

"For fuck's sake, Nick," you hissed at him. "You just can't keep anything secret, can you?" 

"If it helps, he thought it was really cute," Anna added. 

Nick groaned. "I did not say that." 

Anna shot you a wink before she glanced to John. "Are you okay, though? Your eye looks like it really hurts." 

"Oh, it does," John agreed with a nod of his head. "But I'm okay. More than, even," he added as he laced his fingers through yours. 

You ducked your head, refusing to look at the others when you knew they were all grinning at you and John. 

You were content to sit there for half an hour, listening to your friends talk, as you held the hand of the guy you were more than a little bit in love with, and did your best to finish your dinner. 

You didn't want to risk aggravating Marcus that night, so you and John agreed you wouldn't visit him. As you stretched out on your bed, staring up at the bottom of Anna's bunk, you couldn't help but miss John. You wondered if he was thinking of you in that moment. If it was a regular night, then you would have already been crawling onto his bed, ready to spend the next couple of hours with him. With the new development in your relationship, you weren’t sure what you would have done tonight, but you wanted nothing more than to find out. 

As you slowly drifted off to sleep, you hoped that you would get to visit him the next night. 

You were informed the next morning that you would be going to help clear another neighborhood. You were warned that the level of threat was significantly higher than the shopping center. 

You couldn't help but feel worried as you got ready. The shopping center had been easy enough, but the last time you cleared a neighborhood overrun by the undead, they told you there was only a 'moderate' threat level. You weren't sure what was in store for you, but you knew it couldn't be anything good. 

Before you left, John was there to see you off. 

"Don't go running into trouble without me, yeah?" He told you. He was smiling at you, but you could see the worry in his eyes. 

"I'll do my best," you promised. You leaned forward to kiss him, not caring for a moment if anyone saw the two of you. 

"Alright, break it up, you two. We've got some zombies to kill," Nick said as he brushed past the pair of you. 

"He really has made it a habit to interrupt us, hasn't he?" John asked, frowning after Nick. 

"Or do we just have really shitty timing?" You countered, huffing out an amused laugh when John looked like he was considering the question. You gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before you started to back away from him. "I'll see you when I get back?" 

John nodded his head, watching you go. "Count on it." 

On the ride to the neighborhood, you noticed a very palpable tension had taken over the truck. Marcus was driving with his hands clutched so tightly around the wheel that you worried for a moment he was going to hurt himself. You noticed he was very pointedly not talking to you or Nick. Most of his words came out as grunts and he seemed to be clenching his jaw so hard you wondered if he was going to crack his teeth. 

Thankfully, you didn’t have to suffer through it for long. The neighborhood wasn't far from the base, which surprised you. If there was a place overflowing with zombies, then why wasn't it considered a higher priority and taken care of first? 

By the time Marcus pulled the truck to a stop just outside the neighborhood, you were doing your best to not succumb to the anxiety you felt. 

"Hey," Nick whispered, catching your attention. "Just stick with me, yeah? We'll watch each other's backs." 

"Yeah, okay," you agreed. You knew Nick was thinking of when you got separated from the group on the last mission like this. You didn't think you would survive if it happened to you this time. 

As you moved from house to house, killing zombies and looking for survivors, you did your best to make sure you stayed with Nick at all times. Veronica seemed to be keeping close to you as well and you were thankful to have both of them at your back. From time to time, you lost sight of Marcus and Sam, but they always seemed to manage to stumble back to the group. 

You were grateful when the neighborhood was written off as a lost cause. You checked every house and killed as many of the undead as you could, but there didn't seem to be anyone left to save. 

You went back to the truck with Nick and Veronica, noticing that Sam and Marcus were yet to join the both of you. You glanced around for them and spotted them coming up to the truck. You frowned when you noticed Marcus looked a bit pale. 

"Alright, Marcus?" You couldn’t help but check. 

"Fine," he snapped at you. He handed over the truck keys to Sam before he moved to get into the passenger seat of the truck. 

You shared a surprised look with Sam, knowing that Marcus never gave up the opportunity to drive. You thought it had something to do with him feeling like he always had to be in control. As long as you had known him, Marcus always seemed to want to take over and do things his way. For him to allow Sam to drive seemed odd to you, but you assumed he was just tired. It had taken you all hours to clear out the neighborhood and as you settled into the back row of seats with Nick and Veronica, you could feel exhaustion slowly creeping up on you. 

When you got back to the base, you noticed Marcus immediately fumble for the door before he practically fell out of the truck. You watched him stumble off, your brow furrowed in confusion, before he turned a corner and left your sight. 

Sam sighed before he moved to get out of the truck. "I'll go check on him," he muttered. 

"He's probably just tired, mate," Nick offered. 

"Yeah," Sam agreed. But he still wandered off in the direction Marcus had gone, leaving you to share a bewildered look with Nick and Veronica. 

You couldn't quite let go of the feeling that something wasn't right. You knew you were supposed to hand over your weapon and go debrief, but as you watched Nick and Veronica move to follow the usual protocol, you couldn't ignore the feeling in your gut that told you to follow Sam. 

You glanced over to Nick to make sure he wasn't paying attention to you. You managed to sneak away, glad that the base was fairly active and busy at the moment, since it allowed you to go unnoticed. 

You weren't sure where Marcus and Sam might have gone, but you followed a path down one hallway and then another, hoping you eventually ran into them. 

Once you got a bit deeper into the base, you could hear shouting and then someone scream. It sounded like Sam. 

You rounded another corner, taking you closer towards the main offices. You noticed the door to Colonel William's office was left open and you could hear someone groaning inside. You brought your weapon up, feeling sure that something had gone horribly wrong. 

You took a deep breath before you stepped into the doorway of the office. 

Nothing could have prepared you for the sight of Marcus hunched over Sam as he chewed on his forearm. 

You felt your eyes go wide as Marcus ignored you in favor of continuing to devour Sam. Sam was lying still on the floor, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. There was blood smeared all over the front of his uniform. From what you could see, most of it was likely from the bite wound on his neck where Marcus must have torn out part of it. 

You felt such disgust and rage in that moment when you realized Marcus must have been bitten at some point during the mission and chose to hide it from the rest of you. It would have meant certain death for him, but at least it would have saved Sam. 

You brought your weapon up, ready to take care of Marcus, when it was suddenly snatched out of your hands. You turned to see Colonel Williams standing there. 

"Sir," you started, not sure what was going on. "He’s a zombie. We have to kill him." 

It was then you noticed Marcus' head lift from his meal. He turned his attention towards you and Colonel Williams as he slowly got to his feet. 

"He's still my son," Colonel Williams argued. He looked like he was warring between staying with Marcus and making a run for it. 

"No, he's not. Not anymore." Marcus was steadily getting closer. You took a few steps back, putting space between you. "Colonel Williams, please just think about this. If it was anyone else, then you would have already shot them! If we don't put him down now, then he's going to turn more people." 

You noticed Sam's fingers begin to curl and his leg start twitching. 

Colonel Williams turned towards you, a crazed, lost look in his eyes, as he slowly raised the gun he confiscated from you. You felt your breath leave you in a rush when he aimed the weapon at you. 

"I'm not killing my son," he spat. “If I have to kill you to keep this quiet, then so help me, I will.” 

You took a few more steps back, knowing that there was no way you could defend yourself as long as Colonel Williams had that gun pointed at you. It wasn't until you saw Marcus reach his father and move to bite him, that you turned to run. You heard the gun go off behind you and knew you had narrowly avoided getting shot. 

You weren't really sure where you were going. Your first thought was to the cafeteria, but you weren't even sure if it was time for a meal yet. It would be relatively deserted if you chose the wrong time. You realized that you were closer to the barracks than the loading bay, so you headed there in the hopes that someone would be able to help you. 

When you got to the women's barracks, you saw there was only one person present. It was Steph. 

"Steph!" You called, rushing towards her. "We've got a big problem." 

She was bent over her journal, scribbling something down on the page, but she quickly turned her attention towards you. "What's going on?" 

"Marcus got bit and hid it. He's turned Sam and I’m sure his father is next. I tried to kill him, but Colonel Williams took my weapon." 

"Shit," Steph hissed. "I was worried something like this would happen. How long before this gets out of hand?" 

"Rate of infection is quick. I'm not sure why Marcus didn't turn until we got back to base, but I'm thinking minutes." 

It was then you heard someone screaming. The sound was quickly cut off, but you knew someone else had likely fallen victim to the zombies. You shared a horrified look with Steph, before she was quickly scrambling off her bed. "I've been preparing for something like this," she told you as she moved to grab something from under her pillow. When she pulled her hand out, you noticed it was her set of car keys. "I stole them back first chance I got. I didn't want to have to go looking for them if shit hit the fan." 

"Okay, so what do we do now?" 

Steph quickly grabbed her journal before she moved to join you. "You go make sure there isn't anyone in the men's bunks. If we're lucky, then the soldiers will be able to take care of it before the base is overrun. But when have we ever been lucky?" 

"What are you going to do?" You couldn't help but ask as you moved to swipe the Australia travel guide from where Anna kept it tucked underneath her pillow. There was a part of you that wasn’t convinced you would ever make it back to the barracks, and you wanted to make sure it wasn’t left behind. 

"I'm going to go to the garage, get my car, try to see if I can find any of the others, and then we're going to get the fuck out of here." 

"Good plan," you agreed. Even if the zombie threat was suitably taken care of before everyone in the base died, you still had a feeling you should leave. The base was only as safe as everyone made it out to be and you had a bad feeling that the situation was only going to go from terrifying to fucked up before you knew it. 

When you and Steph left the women's barracks, the base outside was eerily silent. You couldn't hear the groans of the undead and there wasn't any evidence to suggest they had made it this far. 

"Good luck," Steph told you before she took off, barely sparing you a glance. 

You glanced around again, assuring yourself that there weren't any zombies, before you made your way to the men's barracks. When you pushed open the door, you worried that the room would be empty. Thankfully, you found John and Nick bickering over something on the other side of the room. 

"Guys," you called, getting their attention. You were quick to shut the door behind you before you joined them. 

"There you are," Nick said. "Where the fuck did you run off to?" 

"Marcus was bitten," you told Nick. "Sam's gone and I think Colonel Williams is too. He took my gun and he wouldn't shoot Marcus. He threatened to kill me instead. I ran for it," you admitted, feeling like a bit of a coward. You knew, though, that if you had stayed and tried to kill Marcus, then you would have died. 

"So, there's zombies now? Here? In the base?" John asked, his voice going higher in fear with each question. 

You nodded your head. "We have to go. Steph is going to get her car, just in case, but we should find someone with a weapon or other soldiers to try to clear the base." 

"Shit, yeah," Nick agreed. "I've already checked mine in. It’s in the weapons locker now." 

"We have to find Veronica and Anna too," you pointed out. "If the base isn't salvageable, then the plan is to get the fuck out." 

"Sounds good," John said with a nod of his head. He turned towards his bed before he flipped up the mattress, grabbing the sketchbook and pencils he had stored under. 

"You know, John boy," Nick started, shooting him a smirk. "Most guys keep porn under their beds, not fucking art supplies." 

John rolled his eyes, but didn't bother replying. 

“Here, take this,” you told Nick. You handed Anna's travel guide over to him, knowing he would probably want to be the one to give it back to her. 

“Thanks,” he said, holding it close to him. 

"Are we ready?" You couldn't help but ask. You knew that there was every chance you could all die. As each minute passed and there wasn't the sound of gunfire, you started to lose hope that the base could be defended. 

"Let's go," Nick said, before he led you and John out of the men's barracks. He immediately froze and held a hand up, stopping you and John in your tracks. 

It was then you noticed the trail of blood smeared along the walkway in front of the barracks. 

"Keep a look out," Nick advised before he started slowly making his way towards the main building. 

You followed close behind him while John took up the rear of the group. You kept glancing over your shoulder, making sure you weren't going to be surprised by the undead. You started to hope that you wouldn't run into any zombies, but you should have known better. 

Nick turned a corner before he was quickly stumbling back, a zombie following after him. 

"Fuck!" Nick yelled as he tried to hold the zombie off. 

You moved to try to tackle the zombie to give you all time to either run or find a weapon, when John was quick to jump into action. He brought up one of the pencils you had gifted to him and drove it into the side of the zombie's head. The zombie fell to the floor, still twitching, but it didn't move to get up again. 

"Thanks for that," Nick said, nodding at John in thanks. "Let's get the fuck out of here." 

You weren't sure what you were really expecting once you started getting closer to the garage, but total chaos was not it. There was blood and bodies everywhere. It looked like a few freshly turned zombies had already been killed, but from the occasional screams you heard echoing down the halls of the base, you knew the threat wasn't over. 

When you got to the cafeteria, Nick volunteered to peek inside. He told you to be ready to run before he slowly eased the door open, taking a quick moment to glance inside the room, before he moved to shut it. He turned a startled expression towards you before he shook his head. 

"Let's not go in there," he said before he ushered you and John away. 

As each minute passed and you didn't see more zombies or soldiers, you started to wonder if you would manage to run into anyone else. 

Nick was still taking the lead when you heard footsteps coming from a hallway to your left. Nick stopped, holding a hand up to halt you and John, before he pressed himself to the wall, waiting to ambush anyone that came around the corner. 

At the sight of Anna and Veronica cautiously stepping into the hallway, you let out a breath of relief. 

"Thank fuck," you said as you moved to embrace Anna. 

She let out a half-hysterical laugh at the sight of you, bringing her arms up to immediately hug you back. When you pulled away, it was then you noticed she had a piece of pipe in her hand. There was blood caked on the end of it and you grimaced at the sight of her bloody clothes. 

"Zombies?" You couldn't help but ask, knowing it was the only answer. 

"Zombies," Anna confirmed. 

"Have you seen Steph?" Veronica asked, quickly glancing around the group of you. You could see streaks of blood on her arms, but she looked unharmed. 

"She went to get her car. We're supposed to meet her at the garage," you told her. 

"Then let's go," Anna said, moving to take up the lead with Nick. 

Anna managed to tell you that she was in the washroom when a zombie stumbled in, taking her by surprise. "I managed to use one of the stall doors to my advantage, but I knew I would need some kind of weapon. Veronica found me and we managed to rip this out of one of the sinks." 

Nick looked suitably impressed and you marveled over the fact that he wasn't demanding he hold the only weapon among the five of you. You couldn't help but think your brother had managed to come a long way in just a few weeks, since he was obviously trusting Anna to protect you all. Although, after witnessing the damage she could do with a lawn ornament in the shape of a candy cane, you had to concede that she was likely to keep you all safe. Still, you didn't feel very confident in your chances if you managed to run into a horde, so you hoped that you would manage to make it to the garage before it became a problem. 

As you got closer to the garage, you held out hope that you would all make it out alive. You avoided hallways that had blood trailing down them or ones that only offered the sounds of groans and shuffling feet. You all stuck close together, letting Anna take care of any stray zombies, as you all did your best to avoid the threat of the undead. 

When you finally made it to the garage, your hands were shaking and you were having a hard time keeping control of your fear. Every moment between finding out that Marcus was a zombie and getting to the garage had been fraught with the underlying knowledge that you could die with one wrong step. 

You were relieved to see Steph standing just outside her car when you got to the garage, but the feeling was quickly dashed when you saw her doing her best to avoid the small group of zombies that had invaded the room. She was holding onto the bat Nick had left in her car and swinging when any got too close to her, but you knew it would be easy for the zombies to overpower her. 

"Over here!" Anna called, trying to get the attention off of Steph. 

A couple of the zombies stumbled towards Anna where she was trying to lure them. Nick and Veronica moved to barricade the garage door in an effort to keep more zombies out. You glanced around for a way to help, spotting the other vehicles stored in the garage. 

You moved towards one of the trucks, knowing that one of them had to have a decent weapon inside. John moved to follow you, keeping watch as you pulled open the door to the closest truck and quickly searched for anything you could use. 

You opened the glove compartment and felt a moment of total relief when you spotted the handgun there. You grabbed it, quickly checking to see how many rounds it carried, before you jumped out of the truck. 

"Move!" You yelled at Steph where she was managing to dodge the swipe of one zombie's hands. She glanced quickly to you, noticing the weapon in your hand, before she moved to get out of the way. 

You were quick to take care of the zombies going after Steph before you turned your attention on the ones Anna had been fighting. You noticed both of them were already dead and let your hand drop. You felt yourself sway, knowing that you had been running on adrenaline after the mission earlier. Now, after making your way across the base, fearing zombies and death at every turn, you felt like you were going to drop to the floor. 

"You alright?" John asked, reaching out to grab your hand. 

"Yeah," you said, knowing that it was only partially true. "Are you?" 

"Yeah," John answered. Although, from the sad, haunted look in his eyes, you knew it wasn't the full truth either. 

"We need to get the fuck out of here before more of those things come in here," Nick pointed out. 

"Right," Steph agreed. 

"You don't think we should try to see if there's anyone else to save?" Anna asked. 

It was then you heard something begin to bang on the door to the garage. From the snarling, groaning noises you could hear, you figured it was safe to assume there wasn’t anyone alive on the other side of the door. You knew the sound of the gun must have drawn something, but you weren't sure how many zombies were now out in the hallway. 

"I wouldn't recommend it," Nick said, before he started ushering Anna towards Steph's car. 

You let John pull you in the direction of the vehicle, keeping a hold on the gun. You weren't sure if you would ever find the ammunition for it after you left the base, but you knew you had two shots left. You would have to make them count. 

When you got to Steph's car, you noticed there were supplies stocked in the small storage space offered in the back and in the floorboards of the backseat. "Steph? What's all this?" 

"Oh, right," Steph said. "I suspected things might turn sour, so I've been sneaking away supplies and storing them in here. I thought we might need to make a quick getaway and they didn't seem to be interested in checking my car over." She reached into the backseat to grab the machete you had to leave behind when you arrived at the base. "I believe this is yours," she said as she handed it over to you. 

"I think I love you," you told Steph, feeling an overwhelming amount of gratitude for her as you took the machete from her. You tucked the gun into the waistband of your pants, hoping you wouldn't have a use for it for a while. 

"Get in line," Veronica muttered. "Now get in the fucking car," she snapped, pushing you towards the vehicle. 

"But someone has to raise the garage door," you pointed out as you gestured towards it. It was the only way any of you were leaving in Steph’s car, but someone needed to stay behind to open it. 

"I'll do it," John volunteered. "There's probably not any zombies outside yet, right?" 

"And if there are?" You couldn't help but ask, knowing that once the garage door was opened, then there was every possibility that a bunch of zombies could come flooding in. 

The banging on the door leading back into the base was getting louder and you knew it was only a matter of time before the zombies managed to knock down the barricade. 

"We don't have time to argue about this," Nick snapped. 

"I'll help you, John," you said. You handed over the machete to him, knowing that your chances were better if you each had a weapon. 

John looked like he wanted to protest, but you didn't give him a chance to. You moved over towards the garage door, taking a hold of the chain that would help you lift it. John joined you after stashing his sketchbook in the car. He made sure to keep the machete up in case he needed to use it. 

You glanced back to see Steph behind the wheel of her car. Veronica was already in the passenger seat and Nick and Anna were climbing into the backseat. 

At Steph's nod, you pulled on the chain, slowly raising the garage door. You weren’t sure what you would find outside, but you hoped most of the zombies were still in the base. 

You heard someone groaning from the other side of the door and when you looked up, it was to see Marcus turning in your direction. 

"Shit," you heard John hiss. 

"Grab the chain," you directed him before you pulled the gun from your waistband and shot Marcus. You watched him fall to the ground, knowing he wouldn’t ever get back up again. You felt a momentary flash of grief when you thought about everyone lost that night. Marcus had been a dick, but that didn’t mean you thought he deserved to die. Sam had only ever been sweet to you, and you hated that Marcus had been selfish enough to hide his bite wound from the rest of you. Colonel Williams might have threatened you, but you knew it was only out of grief for his son. It didn’t excuse his behavior, but you understood. You wished that none of them had died, but you knew there was no way to go back and save them all. You had to keep moving forward. 

You could hear more groaning coming from farther away, so you waved insistently at Steph, urging her to hurry up. 

As she pulled the car out of the garage, you heard the barricade fall and glanced back to see what looked like at least a dozen zombies start to flood the room. 

"Shit," John cried. "Go, go, go, go," he chanted as he dropped his hold on the chain and ushered you through the door in the direction of Steph's car. 

Nick was quick to shove the back door open. John moved to dive into the remaining seat in the back before he pulled you in after him. You had to settle on his lap and you quickly closed the door just as a zombie stumbled into it. 

John wrapped an arm around your waist to keep you steady as you took a moment to catch your breath. 

"Let's get the fuck out of here," Steph muttered before she drove away. 

You glanced out the window to see zombies stumbling after the car, but thankfully they were quickly being left behind. 

You felt someone touch your arm and glanced over to see Anna offering you a shaky smile. 

"Alright?" 

You bit your lip before you slowly nodded your head. You weren't sure you would ever be alright again, but you were going to take any victory you could at that moment. You were all alive and safe after narrowly escaping with your lives. You had your family with you and the guy you were in love with holding onto you. It would have to be enough. 

"So, where to?" Steph asked, keeping her focus on the road leading away from the base. 

You were thankful the gate to the base had been left open. You knew another team had been preparing for a mission when everything got fucked up. You weren’t sure if that team ever got to leave and you shuddered at the thought of there not being any other survivors. 

You wished there had been more time. You wished you had been able to kill Marcus before Colonel Williams could stop you. You wished you had been able to raid the weapons locker or the cafeteria for more supplies. But you knew that no matter how prepared you wanted to be, there was always going to be something else to knock you off your feet. 

John pressed a kiss to your neck before he rested his head between your shoulder blades. You could feel him breathing against your back and took solace in the fact that he was alive. You were all alive. You not only managed to escape Little Haven with your lives, but you escaped the base as well. You were also grateful that you not only had your brother, John, Anna, and Steph, but Veronica there with you as well. Any one of you could have easily died that night, but you had all managed to survive. 

"Anywhere but here. Doesn't matter anymore as long as we're all together," Nick muttered. He was holding onto Anna's hand when you looked over at him and you shared a brief smile with each other when he noticed you looking at him. 

"Sounds good," Anna said as she slumped to the side, resting her head on Nick's shoulder. 

"Yeah," you agreed as you felt John's arms tighten around you for a moment. "Sounds good."

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I wrote such a long fic when hardly anyone is going to read this, but I had fun writing this. If you read this and enjoyed it, then letting me know would make my day. ❤❤❤  
> I'm thinking of adding an epilogue or extra scenes, so I'm making this a series.


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